A leading home services company is helping to deliver weight loss drugs to your door, in the latest sign of an unrelenting demand for GLP-1 medications such as Wegovy and Mounjaro.
Justlife has added home delivery for the popular medications to its home cleaning services, pest control, air conditioning repairs and personal grooming.
The company operates in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ajman, and is partnering with medical providers for rapid delivery of drugs that work by mimicking the natural hormone glucagon-like peptide-1 to regulate blood sugar and aid weight loss.
Medications that require prescriptions are usually not available for direct delivery through standard e-commerce platforms, although some in the UAE offer supplements supporting the use of GLP-1 treatments.
Doctors said people should take care when buying prescription drugs online.
“Increased access to GLP-1 receptor agonist medications has led to concerns and documented instances of inappropriate use,” said Dr Ali El Houni, consultant endocrinologist at Medcare Royal Speciality Hospital in Al Qusais.
“As availability has expanded, there have been cases where people have obtained or used these medications without proper assessment, which raises both safety and misuse concerns.
“GLP-1 agonists obtained online without medical supervision pose significant safety issues, including exposure to counterfeit or non-approved products, incorrect dosing that could result in overdose, and the possibility of severe, unmonitored adverse health effects.”
Strict supervision
Justlife said drugs would only be delivered under a prescription and after a free online medical consultation.
“Justlife connects users with licensed medical partners who manage all medical decisions, including consultations, assessments, prescriptions, and treatment plans,” said a representative.
“Any medication fulfilment, storage requirements, or delivery processes are managed entirely by the licensed clinics through their own regulated systems and in line with UAE regulations.
“Justlife does not store, handle or transport any medication.”
In September, the European Medicines Agency issued a warning about the rise in counterfeit GLP-1 drugs sold online.
The EMA and the Heads of Medicines Agencies reported a sharp rise in the number of illegal medicines marketed as GLP-1 receptor agonists such as semaglutide, liraglutide and tirzepatide for weight loss and diabetes sold through fraudulent websites and promoted on social media.
“Ensuring that these medications are accessed only through verified, medically supervised channels is essential to prevent health risks,” said Dr El Houni.
Weight loss drugs have surged in popularity, with doctors saying home delivery could help address the supply and demand issues some people face.
Health insurance rarely covers their cost, which can be up to Dh2,000 for a month’s supply, and patients must first comply with strict parameters to qualify, such as having a high BMI and proof of lifestyle changes.
Surging demand
Strong demand is fuelling pressure on the US Food and Drug Administration to grant approval for the drugs to be used to treat other conditions, such as kidney and liver disease, and heart failure.
US spending on GLP-1 medications increased 500 per cent from 2018 to 2023 to $71.7 billion, according to UnitedHealthcare, with two in five Americans now classed as obese.
In the UAE, about 28 per cent of adults are obese, the Ministry of Health and Prevention said in 2023.
Eli Lilly, the manufacturers of Mounjaro, one of the prescribed weight loss drugs in the UAE, recently became the first pharmaceutical firm to hit a market value of $1 trillion.
That growth has largely been driven by the explosive demand for weight loss drugs.
In India, the demand is reshaping the way hospitals diagnose illness.
A sharp rise in demand for metabolic testing has been driven by the demand for drugs that help in obesity management and type-2 diabetes.
Patents on existing drugs are due to expire in 2026, opening the door for cheaper, generic versions to be made available to further improve access.
Easing logistical pressures
Dr Noor Naji, a consultant and head of internal medicine at Burjeel Medical City, said delivering drugs through a third party could relieve logistic pressure from pharmacies.
“GLP-1 drugs in general are great medications,” said Dr Naji.
“I’ve seen nothing but excellent results for patients who really need them, from weight loss percentage to blood sugar improvement, improvement in their fatty liver markers, joint pain, bilateral knee pain, energy levels and psychological effects.
“I’ve been recommending this drug is delivered for a lot of my patients, who don’t want to wait in the pharmacy, as sometimes the wait time is so long.
“These drugs need to be stored in a cool temperature. Some patients will be here for their appointment early in the morning, and then go to work, so they don’t have access to a refrigerator for storage.
“I try to ensure those patients get their prescription delivered.”
Dr Naji said it was important anyone taking the drugs had medical consultation, to be shown how to inject the drugs correctly, and report any potential side effects.
“These medications need to be monitored closely for patients, especially those taking them for the first time because there can be side effects,” she said.
“The important thing is how to take the medication, and a doctor should always counsel patients on their needs.”
How to wear a kandura
Dos
Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Emirates exiles
Will Wilson is not the first player to have attained high-class representative honours after first learning to play rugby on the playing fields of UAE.
Jonny Macdonald
Abu Dhabi-born and raised, the current Jebel Ali Dragons assistant coach was selected to play for Scotland at the Hong Kong Sevens in 2011.
Jordan Onojaife
Having started rugby by chance when the Jumeirah College team were short of players, he later won the World Under 20 Championship with England.
Devante Onojaife
Followed older brother Jordan into England age-group rugby, as well as the pro game at Northampton Saints, but recently switched allegiance to Scotland.
About RuPay
A homegrown card payment scheme launched by the National Payments Corporation of India and backed by the Reserve Bank of India, the country’s central bank
RuPay process payments between banks and merchants for purchases made with credit or debit cards
It has grown rapidly in India and competes with global payment network firms like MasterCard and Visa.
In India, it can be used at ATMs, for online payments and variations of the card can be used to pay for bus, metro charges, road toll payments
The name blends two words rupee and payment
Some advantages of the network include lower processing fees and transaction costs
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESmartCrowd%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2018%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESiddiq%20Farid%20and%20Musfique%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%20%2F%20PropTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24650%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2035%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeries%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVarious%20institutional%20investors%20and%20notable%20angel%20investors%20(500%20MENA%2C%20Shurooq%2C%20Mada%2C%20Seedstar%2C%20Tricap)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The biog
Hometown: Cairo
Age: 37
Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
Abandon
Sangeeta Bandyopadhyay
Translated by Arunava Sinha
Tilted Axis Press
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
THE BIO: Mohammed Ashiq Ali
Proudest achievement: “I came to a new country and started this shop”
Favourite TV programme: the news
Favourite place in Dubai: Al Fahidi. “They started the metro in 2009 and I didn’t take it yet.”
Family: six sons in Dubai and a daughter in Faisalabad
Mina Cup winners
Under 12 – Minerva Academy
Under 14 – Unam Pumas
Under 16 – Fursan Hispania
Under 18 – Madenat
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%202-litre%20direct%20injection%20turbo%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%207-speed%20automatic%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20261hp%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20400Nm%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20From%20Dh134%2C999%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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